Typical ball valves comprise valve housings with a cover having a stem, the stem being received in an apertured ball, and the ball interposed between seat rings. The aforesaid components, seat rings and ball, set within recesses provided therefor in the housing. Too, a compression spring is emplaced about the stem, and in between the cover and the ball, and a gasket is interposed between the cover and the housing.
Some fair degree of manual dexterity is required to assemble the ball valve components within a ball valve housing. Also, it will occur that personnel sent to service such valves wear bulky protective garments and gloves, and such limit an ability to handle separate ball valve parts and components with any facility. It would be of significant advantage to have the internal, operating components of a ball valve unitized into an integrated assembly, to simplify maintenance and servicing of the valve. Particularly, it would be beneficial to be able to remove all the internal, operating components of the ball valve with the cover when it is removed, such components being an integrated unit. This can be of importance in those valve applications involving radiation or toxic media, in which the valve must be serviced by remote, manipulation devices. Remote devices can detach a cover from a housing, with some facility, albeit not separate, internal parts; consequently the benefit of having all internal, operating components unitized and removable with the cover is self-evident.